Nightingale Effect
by Insanity Studios Ink
Summary: We all know Magnus is the healer for the Hall 19 gang. But who takes care of the healer when the healer is sick? Why Alex, of course. Just a bunch of fluffy cuteness determined to take over the world. Alex/Magnus, Sick!Magnus


_Hello all! I just finished reading the Magnus Chase series, and this hit me. So here we are, a Magnus Chase fanfiction._

* * *

Alex knocked loudly on her best friend's door. Perhaps it was because she was a morning person, or perhaps because she wanted to explore, but she was up and rearing to go. If only Magnus shared her enthusiasm...

He had not opened his door, sleepy and stifling a yawn. In fact, he hadn't even shouted through the door. It was like the boy was dead to the world!

She banged on his door again. "Come on! I want to go on an adventure!"

A weak groan floated back through the door.

"Magnus, I will drag your dead body out this door!"

The fact that he would reappear in his bed, completely unharmed, ruined the effectiveness of the threat.

She heard a wheezing cough this time, as well as a groan.

"Magnus? You alright in there?" Her voice held more concern now.

She pushed the door open gently, listening for any objections. Now that the door was open, she could hear his raspy whisper.

"'m sick. Go without me."

And indeed he was. He lay propped up against a couple of pillows, his skin a pale green and dark circles under his eyes. A tissue box and a half-empty bag of cough lozenges were on his bed, and he had a bucket between his knees.

"Oh my god, what happened?" she demanded, hurrying over.

He swatted away her hand as she went to check for a temperature. "Yeah, I know I've got a fever. Healer, 'nd all."

He blew his nose, then threw the used tissue away. It landed about a foot from the rubbish bin, rolling to join the others littered about the floor.

Alex didn't know what to do. Her friend was absolutely miserable, and there wasn't anything she could do. Well, she could think of one thing...

"Would killing you help?"

Magnus laughed, then started coughing, which derived into breathless wheezing.

"No, I'll just have it worse when I revive," he gasped

"Damn. Uh, can I do anything to help?"

"Not really. I'll go make some soup later, when I feel like I can walk. Or even crawl."

She jumped off the bed. "I'll do that! Just you wait, it'll be the best soup you've ever had!"

He laughed weakly again. "I'm sure. Has to be better than the crap at the shelter, anyway."

Sounds of cupboard opening and closing echoed through the suite. Muttered curses could be heard, as well as some shuffling of pans.

After a worryingly long silence, Magnus had to ask. "Uh, can you cook?"

There was a loud crash, followed by some more cursing, louder and more colourful this time. "Not really. But don't worry, Google will help me!"

Magnus wasn't very reassured. The voice of a youtuber reached Magnus's ears, as well as more muttering from the girl. The gas stove was turned on, and three minutes later, the smell of burnt food was strong enough to send Magnus into another coughing fit.

"Hang on, sorry!" Alex opened the window, and emptied out the pan.

She ran to help her friend, who was attempting to hack up a lung. Not knowing what to do, the green-haired girl settled with patting his back, holding out a cough-drop for him.

He reached for it, but then another bout of coughing left him puking into the bucket. Alex rubbed his back, passing him tissues to wipe up the sick from his mouth.

"Come on, the soup can wait. Let's get you cleaned up."

She headed to the bathroom, bucket of sick in hand. When she returned to him, she had a rag, a glass of water, and the newly-cleaned bucket. Relief was clear on Magnus's face, and he looked at her with grateful eyes that made something in her chest go funny.

When he was finally tucked back under the covers, Magnus felt the bed beside him dip down. Groggy eyes looked up at her, the beautiful girl he had a minor (okay, maybe not-so-minor) crush on. She ruffled his hair affectionately, smiling down at him.

"Go to sleep, Maggie. I'm here."

As soon as she heard his breathing even out, Alex was rushing down the hall. By this time, most of the rest of her friends were up, which was good. Her fists banged desperately on T.J.'s door. He opened it, sounds of video-game gunfire in the background assaulting her ears.

"Help. I need you to teach me to cook some soup."

Magnus opened his eyes, blinking at the ceiling. Delicious smells hit his nose, making his mouth water.

"Hey Maggie, nice to see you up. How'ya feeling?"

A smile broke across his face as Alex Fierro helped sit him up. "Been better. What's cooking, doc?"

"Chicken noodle soup. See, I can cook."

He tried to keep the 'Sure...' look off his face, but failed.

"Okay, fine, T.J. had to teach me how to make soup."

Magnus gave a laugh, a little less weak than before.

Alex snorted. "You must still be sick if you think you'll get away with that sass, mister."

"But I'll get away for now..."

"Yeah, 'cause I'm not willing to risk getting close enough to kill you; I'll get sick! Plus, I'll get blood on my jacket."

Magnus laughed again, and Alex's eyes were drawn to his eyes, glittering with mirth in the most delightful way. And oh god, his lips. Light pink, and smooth. Moving, forming words...

"-ex? Hey, you still with us?"

Her attention snapped back to him, a fierce blush colouring her cheeks a rosy red.

"Right!" she said, trying to distract herself. "I'll go get you some soup!"

What had she been thinking? She didn't like him like that, did she? Actually, looking back, most of her behaviour matched that of the couples (which included Mallory and Half-Born) she gagged at.

Staring? Check. Weird thoughts? Check. Increased heart-rate, breathlessness when he was near, and sudden halt in rational thoughts? Check, check, and check. Damn.

She had a crush on her best friend. Of course, this would likely lead nowhere. All of her past crushes had gone badly, ranging from disastrous to apocalyptic. She doubted Magnus would ever like her back. Would he even be okay with dating her when she was on a male day?

The fact was that she had no idea, and that it terrified her beyond belief. She wasn't sure how he would react if he found out she liked him, either. A surge of anger flooded her. Why couldn't she just live the life of a dead einherjar without all the romantic shit?

She handed Magnus the bowl of steaming soup silently, thinking. Magnus could feel the tension in the air, and he attempted to break it the same way he always did: telling jokes, the worse, the better.

"What do you call a cow with no legs?"

Alex grunted.

"No, not 'Ugh.' You call it ground beef!"

Alex groaned and rolled her eyes, but a smile lit her face regardless. Magnus continued, determined to cheer his friend.

"Yeah, sorry. My sense of humour's a bit dry." He looked up, eyes twinkling. "Maybe I should take a bath to wet it."

"God, your terrible," Alex said, laughing despite herself. "Here, I've got one. What do vegetarian zombies eat?"

Alex saw Magnus's eyes light up. "Carrots?"

"No, GRRRRAAAIIINNNS!"

They both laughed, the tension easing. Magnus smiled at her again, his hair shifting in a way that made her want to run her hands through that golden-

And just like that, the tension was back.

Alex looked away, blushing slightly. "Um, I better be getting back to my room."

"Yeah. I've got stuff to do." Magnus tried to sit up, but Alex pushed him back.

"Oh no you don't! You need your rest."

He grumbled about it, but relented under her fierce glare.

But when Alex checked back in on him, he was definitely not resting. She stood, open-mouthed, as he staggered about his room. He had cleaned up the suite, and she could smell food in the kitchen.

Even so, his eyes were glazed, and he was stumbling like a drunk. Alex ran, just barely catching him as he fell.

"The hell are you doing, Maggie? I told you to rest."

He looked up at her, slurring his words. "Izzat you, 'lex? What're you doing here?"

"Getting you to bed, dummy. What do you think?"

"But I've got somethin' on th' stove..."

"I'll get it. You need to get to bed."

She felt his forehead, which was burning. "Your fever's gotten worse. What were you thinking, Maggie?"

"Was thinkin' about you..."

Alex felt her face heat up. "Were you now?"

That adorable look he gave her should be illegal. "Mmm-hmm. You're very pretty," he mumbled.

"Well, for the record, you're pretty cute yourself." There was no way she wasn't blushing like a prude now. Magnus? Openly flirting with her? Then again, fever did weird things to people.

He lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper now. "I like your nose, but don't tell anyone. Your ears might get jealous."

Alex choked a little, trying valiantly not to die of laughter at the embarrassment he would feel later.

As she tucked him back into bed and fed him an ibuprofen for the fever, Alex heard him mumble something.

"Hmm?" she asked.

"Love you, 'lex."

A smile broke across her face. "I love you too, Maggie."

* * *

 _Well, there it is. Let me know what you thought, and have a great day! Now, I'm just going to go and get my college done like a good student...  
_

 _~Joan McCreedy_

 ** _EDIT: For reasons unknown to me, I am not able to view any reviews on this story. I am also not receiving email notifications for favorites, follows, or new reviews. Please bear with me as I try to work this out. I'm very sorry for any inconvenience it causes. (2/10/18)_**


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